Europe: Autumn Update

Summary
Weather during October has been largely beneficial for agriculture in Europe. It provided rain to the most precipitation deprived countries, including Spain, Portugal, and southwest France. It has also brought relief in the form of dryness to many formerly soaked countries of central and eastern Europe. Mild temperatures have aided farmers in these same eastern countries by accelerating the drying of their crops and fields. The favorable weather has allowed the late harvest to resume and the autumn planting to continue for most countries. However, the rains continue to thwart field activities in much of Romania and Bulgaria.

Iberian Peninsula
Early October Weather Aids Agriculture


Delayed harvesting and planting activities accelerated in much of Europe during the first half of October as a return to beneficial weather existed across most of the continent. The beginning of the month brought a long-needed respite from the excessive rains that had fallen in many areas of the southeast. October also brought mild temperatures that helped dry corn and sunflower crops still in the field and hastened the pace In addition, southwest France, Spain, and Portugal finally received significant rain events during early October. These countries have been lacking for precipitation all season, forcing most jurisdictions to constrain their farmers with tight water restrictions that limited irrigation. The resulting lack of water devastated the 2005/06 crops in Spain and Portugal, and significantly diminished the returns for corn in southern France, where it is a primary crop.

Rain in Spain, Portugal
October is the normal start of the rainy season in southern Spain and Portugal, and so far the rains have returned on time. A fairly localized but important portion of this rainfall was created by an highly unusual phenomena. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the first tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in Spain brought rainfall into Spain's dry Andalucia Province. The remnants of Hurricane Vince, which had formed in the eastern Atlantic between the Azores and Canary Islands swept into southwestern Spain as a weakened tropical depression with winds of 35 mile per hour. Although rains weren't as extensive or as intense as those associated with stronger storms, the cyclone broke the long running drought and dowsed southern Spain with some of its only precipitation in months. Meanwhile, a front pushed southeast off the North Atlantic, providing widespread rain to northern and central sections of Spain and Portugal, as well as France. Together, these two storm systems interrupted an ongoing drought, and provided hope in the Iberian countries that the 2006/07 season will be much improved upon the meager results from 2005/06. While recent precipitation is far too late for improving this season's crops, the increase in precipitation, if bolstered by more rainfall could establish good fall planting conditions. Many more precipitation events however, will be required to recharge low subsoil moisture and reservoir levels to a comfortable position for fall-planted crops. 

Satellite images of tropical storm Vince:
AVHRR | MODIS

Satellite derived, surface wetness maps show that the recent rain has moistened top soil in Spain and Portugal as they begin their winter grains planting season:
October 10 - 16, 2005 | October 17 - 23, 2005 | Southern Spain: Precipitation Graph

Central & Eastern Europe
Most of Eastern Europe Gets Break From Rains; Romania and Bulgaria Still Wet
Extraordinarily high rainfall totals tied up harvest progress during August and September in the Balkans, but some recent dryness in October has allowed farmers in areas of southeast Europe to quicken the pace of summer crop harvesting and to begin planting fall grains. The much later-than-normal summer harvest is largely the result of frequent, heavy summer rains that had prolonged the harvest of winter grains. These excessive rains triggered several flood events that made fields inaccessible for extended periods and lowered grain quality. Heavy rains continued to fall into early autumn, further dampening an already wet corn and sunflower crop. With the cost of fuel especially high this season, the normal high costs incurred in automated drying has risen even higher. As a result, many farmers have opted to let their crops dry in the field. The combined effects from a delayed winter grains harvest and wet summer crops has resulted in a delayed harvest for the Balkan's dominant summer crops: corn and sunflower. It is expected that some of the corn fields will not be harvested until winter. So far, mild temperatures have aided field operations in the Balkan nations, but Bulgaria and areas of Romania remain troubled with recent rains. Farmers in these areas must hurry to harvest summer crops if they are to plant winter grains. The likelihood for problems increases as the optimal planting date passes in a shortened planting window. Continued mild weather will be critical for farmers striving to reach area goals for their winter crops.

Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, and eastern Bosnia finally received some much needed drier weather during the first half of October, greatly aiding the drying of corn, the harvest of sunflower, and the planting of winter grains. Similarly, beneficially dry weather has likely hastened the planting further north in Poland and the Czech Republic. Virtually no rain fell during the first half of October in either country, but previous rains have kept subsoil moisture sufficient for planting. Southern France had a spike in precipitation during October while the rest of France saw seasonal precipitation levels, both benefited cropland. Meanwhile the northern two-thirds of Germany and the low countries were dry but adequate for planting. Autumn sowing should be proceeding on schedule in both France and Germany.  

Soil Moisture Data:
Soil Moisture on October 20, 2005 |  Subsoil Moisture
Chart showing soil moisture levels dropping in selected areas of eastern Europe.

Temperature Maps:
Temperature Anomaly | Average Temperature | Minimum Temperature